One Facebook User = Two LinkedIn Users, and Other Things the Stock Market Tells Us

Since reporting terrific financials, shares of LinkedIn (LNKD) have soared. And investors who bought the stock at or near the $45 IPO price have enjoyed a nice return, though it hasn’t always been a very easy ride.

With the YTD rally, the company’s market cap is $9 billion. That’s quite a bit lower than Facebook’s goal of $100 billion. But about the same as Twitter, based on recent private market transactions.

Obviously, these three leading social media sites are quite different, not only in what they do but in their respective target markets. You might think, then, that somebody linking up with a CFO or other business professional would be more valuable than, say, your aunt who posted pictures of her dog or the hipster trying to understand the universe 140 characters at a time.

But the dog-photo poster wins out.

Based on Facebook’s valuation, and its 845 million users, each Facebooker is worth $116.

The 150 million users of LinkedIn, on the other hand, are only worth about $60 each.

And the short-winded also get the short end: Twitter’s roughly 200 million members are worth only about $50.

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